’Pipeline integrity now central to Nigeria’s oil production recovery’

Nigeria’s oil recovery is increasingly being decided along its pipelines. As national output climbs away from the lows of 2022, keeping evacuation routes open and intact has become as important to production as bringing new barrels to the surface.
The recovery is significant. In a statement issued in April 2026, NNPC said national crude production rose from a historic low of about 960,000 barrels per day in 2022 to an average of 1.71 million barrels per day in 2025, with a peak of 1.84 million. The company attributed the gains in part to an integrated pipeline protection model that combines intelligence, security deployment, regulatory oversight, industry cooperation and community-based...